The game of catch has been played since antiquity, both as a form of play and, in more recent times, as part of a sport such as baseball, etc. As is well known, the game is played by tossing a ball (or any similar article) back and forth between two or more players, which players may catch the ball with their bare hands, or with the aid of a baseball glove, or the like.
Although throwing and catching an object, such as a ball, is enjoyable and quite easy for older children or adults, a surprising amount of coordination is required to successfully play the game, which coordination is sometimes lacking in younger children still in the early stages of physical development. Therefore, although younger children are generally quite eager to attempt playing the game of catch or related sports activities, they may soon become frustrated in their efforts due to their inability to successfully catch the ball.
It is, therefore, an object of the instant invention to simplify the game of catch so that the game is easily played by younger children.
It is another object of the instant invention to simplify the game of catch by providing play articles which permit a young child to easily catch a thrown object, such as a ball, through use of a unique catching aid.
In accordance with one aspect and feature of the instant invention, unique play articles are provided for playing the game of catch, which play articles include a catcher's aid, such as a glove type article, with a front surface covered in a hook and loop type fastening material such as VELCRO (registered trademark of The Velcro Manufacturing Co.), along with a ball whose entire surface area may also be covered in similar material whereby the ball is easily caught by the catcher's glove due to the attachment action of the hook and loop type fastening material.
Prior art patents exist in which mating sections of VELCRO, or VELCRO material, are used to facilitate adherence of an object to the front surface of a play article.
One of the earliest of said patents is U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,345, issued on May 1, 1962 to Jerome H. Lemelson. The '345 Lemelson patent was directed to a dart game in which the front surface of the dart, and the front surface of the target, were covered with VELCRO material. Therefore, when the dart was thrown at the target, the dart would attach to the target, simulating play as with an actual game of darts, but without the danger of using steel tipped darts.
A second Lemelson patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,566, was issued on Dec. 31, 1974, and is directed to solving the problem of the dart disengaging from the target area due to the inherent bounce of the dart upon impact on the target. The "bounce problem" was addressed in the '566 patent by stretching VELCRO material over a frame, which frame maintained a predetermined distance between the VELCRO material and the wall on which the frame was to be hung. Therefore, during the initial impact stage of the head of the dart against the flexible VELCRO material, the dart decelerates, without bounce, thereby preventing disengagement between the dart and the target.
Although the '566 patent addressed the "bounce problem", it did so by providing a frame structure over which the VELCRO material was stretched. Such a solution is clearly unsatisfactory for play articles to be used in the game of catch or other baseball like games.
A similar patent directed specifically to the game of catch is U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,748, issued to William A. Clarke on Dec. 28, 1976. This reference is directed to play articles useful in the game of catch, comprising a ball coated with VELCRO material, and a mitt or glove having an outer face also covered with VELCRO material. The mitt or glove is a multi-layer device, consisting of a facing layer of VELCRO material, a flexible textile backing layer, and an intermediate plastic foam layer sandwiched between the backing layer and the facing layer. The entire multi-layer device is flexible in nature, without rigid parts, which construction, although not mentioned in the '748 patent, might tend to somewhat reduce the "bounce problem". However, it is clear that the flimsy construction of the mitt described in the '748 patent would prohibit any "hard thrown" balls due to inadequate padding and, moreover, the flexible nature of the entire glove would result in constant movement on the hand, which would make the glove very difficult for use with young children.
It is, therefore, an object of the instant invention to provide articles of play for use with the game of catch, which articles are somewhat rigid and, thus, easily used with young children, while at the same time completely eliminating the "bounce problem".
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide articles of play for use in the game of catch, which articles of play can be used with young children, but also capable of absorbing the high energy of hard thrown balls without bounce or injury to the hand and, therefore, useful with adults as well.